Acne can be such a nuisance that most of us have had to deal with at one point or another, or deal with on a regular basis. Thing is, not all acne is the same, and the question is, are you using the right acne treatments?

From classic pimples, to whiteheads, blackheads, and cysts, acne can be painful, annoying and make us super self-conscious. Being notoriously popular in teens thanks to hormonal changes), some are surprised when it happens to them in adulthood, but the truth is, as we get older, our bodies and care for our bodies gets more and more complex, thus making it more difficult to determine what is causing issues such as acne. Figuring out how to best treat your acne starts with figuring out why you are having this issue, or rather whats causing it, so always start by consulting a doctor or dermatologist to see what the underlying issue could be.

I was blessed with small pores and never had an issue with acne until my late twenties. Then I went through some health issues and so due to a combination of the inflammation in my body and the medications I was having to take to try and maintain my illnesses, my skin was NOT happy at all. Inflammation can just throw all sorts of things out of whack, and medications can change hormone levels (which makes already existing hormone issues even worse!), thus resulting in hormonal acne, amongst other issues. When it reached it’s peak, I had had enough of trying to treat this on my own and wanted to dig deeper into the root of the issue. A combination of help and knowledge from my nutritionist, dermatologist, and facialist, sent me in the right direction, and while I still battle health issues that will cause my skin to “act up” from time to time, I have a better grip on it now. Below you will see some of my favorite tips and products, and learn why they are beneficial to your skincare and fighting acne.

Start From The Inside: This is a given, what we put into our bodies will show in many ways, one of these of course being via our skin. I’m not saying eat salads all day, every day, but making heavy, greasy foods a special occasion type of treat is one way to start. I LOVE LOVE LOVE fudge, but it does not love me back. Every now again, I go to the Farmer’s Market here in LA, and pay a visit to Little John’s Sweet Shop for a good sized piece of rocky road fudge that I can pick at for the next following days. It makes me happy for the moment, but you can bet that within the next couple of days I am going to have a couple of really ugly pimples make an appearance. One thing I have worked into my day to day routine is to consume lemon water. I mean all day, every day. I am planning to write an article very soon about all the benefits of lemon water, but for now, know that it is so good for detoxing your body, and in case you’ve forgotten, our skin is our biggest organ in our body. Plus the water keeps the skin hydrated, and I learned from my dermatologist that one cause of acne is dry skin! I was shocked because acne is basically oil-clogged pores. Thing is, when your skin is dry its working overtime to produce extra oils underneath to keep it hydrated, resulting in clogged pores.